As we look forward to what promises to be an active MLB offseason, it’s important to remember the stars that defined one of the most dramatic playoffs in recent history.
From Madison Bumgarner’s heroic Game 7 performance to Wade Davis’ ability to dominate when the Kansas City Royals needed him the most, here are the top-10 players from the 2014 MLB Playoffs.
1. Madison Bumgarner, Starting Pitcher, San Francisco Giants
Bumgarner may in fact be the best World Series pitcher in the history of baseball. Yes, you read that right…the history of baseball. Following a five-inning save in Game 7 against the Kansas City Royals, this 25-year-old starting pitcher has now yielded one earned run in 35 World Series innings.
Overall this postseason, Bumgarner put up a 4-1 record with a 1.03 ERA and 0.65 WHIP in seven appearances (six starts). He won four of his five decisions, threw a ridiculous 702 pitches and yielded nearly half as many hits (28) as innings pitched (52.2). This is the type of performance that makes someone a legend in the history books. And despite being just 25, Bumgarner is already etched in stone as a Hall of Famer.
2. Pablo Sandoval, Third Baseman, San Francisco Giants
Courtesy of Press Democrat: Sandoval is now among the best playoff hitters in recent history.
Potentially the greatest postseason hitter of the modern era, Sandoval may have ended his Giants career on the highest of notes. He put up 26 hits and a .366 average in 18 playoff games this season. In total, Sandoval got on base in all but one game during the Giants run to the World Series championship. And it must be noted that he scored two of the team’s three runs in Game 7 against the Royals. For someone that has struggled with consistency over the years, Sandoval sure knows how to come through when it counts the most.
3. Greg Holland, Closer, Kansas City Royals
Courtesy of MLB.com: Holland was absolutely dominating for the Royals this postseason.
Holland saved seven of the Royals 11 wins during the postseason. In the process, he tied five other pitchers for the most saves in a single postseason. But in reality, that’s really not the story here. He yielded just one earned run and four hits while striking out 11 in 11 innings pitched. In some high pressure situations, Holland proved that he was one of the best big-game relief pitchers in the recent history of the playoffs. That deserves some credit in and of itself.
4. Lorenzo Cain, Outfielder, Kansas City Royals
Cain’s overall performance in the playoffs was absolutely amazing. Outside of hitting .333 with eight RBI’s and 25 total bases, Cain proved that has could make a major difference in center field. Game after game, he acted as a table setter for the Royals offense while literally stealing runs from opposing offenses. And four years after being sent to Kansas City in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, Cain lived up to his five-tool potential. It only took October for it to happen.
5. Eric Hosmer, First Baseman, Kansas City Royals
One of many home-grown pruducts to help Kansas City make this miracle run to the playoffs, Hosmer proved to be the star of an offense that found a way to beat its opponents on a consistent basis. He hit .351 with two homers and a MLB-leading 12 RBIs during the playoffs. Without Hosmer’s presence in the lineup, it’s highly unlikely that the Royals would have made it as far as they did.
6. Nelson Cruz, Outfielder, Baltimore Orioles
Courtesy of NY Post: Cruz will get the big bucks after a solid October performance.
Cruz surely earned himself a nice paycheck on the open market this winter after leading the majors in homers with 40 during the regular season. He followed that up by driving in seven runs and hitting .357 in seven postseason games. Overall, Cruz racked up 10 hits, scored five runs and reached base 40 percent of the time during the Orioles run to the ALCS.
7. Jon Jay, Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis may have fallen short of its goal this season, but it wasn’t for a lack of success from Jay, who ranked second in the postseason with a .483 average. He put up 14 hits and reached base 17 times in nine playoff games. While Jay drove in only two runs, he did act as a table setter for the Cardinals.
8. Matt Carpenter, Third Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals
Carpenter is the only player that didn’t suit up in the World Series to finish in the top 10 in the playoffs in RBIs. And while he hit only .278 during the playoffs, Carpenter finished second behind Mike Moustakas with four homers. It’s this type of power that helped St. Louis dismantle Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
9. Wade Davis, Relief Pitcher, Kansas City Royals
Courtesy of USA Today: Davis’ was absolutely dominating all October long.
There are about 25 teams out there that would love to have Davis as their closer. His domination in October just magnified this further. Davis pitched in 12 of Kansas City’s 15 playoff games, giving up just one earned run in 14.1 innings for a ridiculously low 0.63 ERA. He struck out 20 and walked two, while allowing just 10 base runners throughout the postseason.
10. Jeremy Affeldt, Relief Pitcher, San Francisco Giants
While everyone rightfully focuses on what Bumgarner did for the Giants in the playoffs, we simply cannot forget what Game 7’s eventual winning pitcher did. Affeldt appeared in 11 games (11.2) innings without giving up a single earned run. He also pitched 2.1 huge innings of scoreless baseball in San Francisco’s Game 7 win over Kansas City.
Photo: USA Today